Pickle, We're Not in America Anymore
by PsychoticSushi
Summary: Zoey, your average teen, wakes up LITERALLY on Mayu's shoes. How the heck did she get there? And why does that picture of a snowy manor on Kei's desk make her tremble? They thought the nightmare was over, but a new one begins. The tattoo is spreading...
1. Sukie in the Graveyard

**Hello! This might seem kind of slow at first, but y'know the background's needed! WILL pick up and get funnier, you guys! PLEASE REVIEW, because it really does annoy most of the FanFic writers when there are so many hits and not many reviews!! I may give you a treat too!! YAY FOR TREATS!!**

"_Zoey, duck!" Rushing water. Crackling. Pain. Groaning. Screaming. A crimson butterfly. Darkness. _

"_Zoey. Zoey. Zoey." _

"ZOEY!" The girl curled up in her bed suddenly sprang awake, nearly falling out of said bed. "Holy crap..." She yawned groggily, scratching her thigh through her PJ pants. "Don't do that, dude." Nick just sighed, shook his head, and announced, "Thirty minutes till the last bell!" before stalking off. Probably to eat something. The guy was like a beanpole, but was ALWAYS hungry.

Zoey groaned miserably, springing out of her bed to take the quickest shower in history.

"You have another dream?" Nick asked carelessly as he drove them to school. Zoey looked at the dashboard as if it were extremely interesting. "...Maybe." Nick laughed sadly. "Don't worry, I do, too. I guess that's normal though. It's only been about a year." "No, not yet. A year in five months," she corrected him automatically, making them both wince.

Ever since mom and dad died, she was extremely relieved to have an older brother around, even if it_ was_ Nick.

School was busy as always. Grace was waiting for her loyally, making Zoey smile. "Have I ever told you how golden-retriever-like you are??" Grace smirked. "You must have me confused with Ryan.." She cocked her head towards the senior down the hall. Zoey rolled her eyes. "Nah, I'm just his eye candy."

"Which makes me mistrust his judgement," Alexis interjected, making Grace glare. Zoey, however, laughed with her. "I know, right?" Alexis held up a finger. "Remember Zoo, he only wants one thing!" "And what's that?" Grace asked eagerly, loving this part of the insider.

Alexis shimmied her small hips. "Oh, you know. One day he'll knock on your door and say.." Zoey recited it with her in their low boy voices. "Heeyy Zoo-Zoo. Wanna take a ride on my disco stick??!" They busted out laughing.

This Tuesday at school wasn't really special. Normal PMS-y teachers, normal crap-load of work for her to do. Normal Nick's girlfriend hanging around, still as clingy as the static in her over-dyed strawberry-blonde hair.

Nick insisted she was "a very interesting person", which meant "she's hot, alright?!". Hence why she used to regularly ask her parents for a DNA test of the two to make sure they were really related.

Which always made everyone laugh. Because they were almost exactly alike.

Nick watched her worriedly as she took some pills. She finally turned to look at him. "No, these are not That Pill." Nick made a face. "I sure as hell hope not! I was just wondering what it was you planned on OD'ing on?!"

Zoey rolled her eyes and read the bottle. "Pain Reliever. Instructions: 12 and up, take two every eight hours." She threw the bottle at him so he could read it himself. "Freaking spazz!"

"LOVE YOU TOO!!" He shouted as she dashed upstairs to take a nap.

_It was snowing. Lots of eery tombstones. Nice. Zoey scratched her head in confusion, knowing this wasn't her normal nightmare. "Hmm...maybe I fell asleep watching Cribs, and this is the Ozz-Man's new mansion. Yeah...that's it.." Even though it was very possible, she knew it couldn't be that simple._

_She was going to go inside the mansion, then stopped. "Well, duh! They're expecting that!! Whoever they is..." she added, confused at this random outburst of hers. All she knew was that if she entered that snow-covered mansion, her life would never be the same. Even though it had room for improvement, she didn't want it to get any worse, either. _

"_Well, then. It appears my only option is..." Zoey sat down, bringing her knees to her chest, shivering. "I wait here till I wake up!" _

Eventually, she was brought back to consciousness. Without even opening her eyes, she started talking to herself.

"What the hell was that place? Is it weird to fall asleep in a dream? Is it weird that I just sat there and did nothing in the aforementioned dream?? I'm hungry. I kind of want a pickle. Hey, I wonder if maybe it WAS a cool crib...MAN! I could've actually met the Osbournes!! Dammit! I mean, it would've been a dream, obviously, but still! That's closer than I've gotten before...Maybe if I try hard enough, I can go back-"

"UUUUNNNNCCLLEEEE!!!! THERE'S A STRANGE GIRL TALKING TO HERSELF IN HERE!!!!"

"Why don't you just grab a bat, Mayu?" Another voice muttered dully.

"What the hell are you two doing?? I've gotta go to work in exactly...." The third voice trailed off, and Zoey desperately kept thinking _If I keep my eyes shut, maybe these freaks will go away...._

But NOOOO. Suddenly there was a voice right by her face. "Um...are you okay??" Zoey kept her eyes shut. "No. I'm dead. Please go away, strange people in my room!!" The Mayu girl spoke next. "Um, you're not in your room. You're laying on the floor, on top of my shoes."

_That explains the lump right above my butt....!!_

Zoey reluctantly opened her eyes. There was a girl on each side of some random guy. Well, actually, they were all pretty random. "What the hell am I doing here?! This is NOT my room!!!"

The other girl rolled her eyes. "No shit, Sherlock." The guy shot her a look, and she temporarily shut up.

"Where are you from? Do you even know? How many fingers am I holding up?!" Mayu asked worriedly.

Zoey sweatdropped. "Um..New Orleans, yes I do know obviously, and...two? That or you're giving me a peace sign..?" Mayu sighed with relief, and the other girl gave her a weird look. "Did you not comprehend what she just said?! She's from fricking America!"

Zoey looked at them in confusion. "Well, where am I now?!" "Japan," they all said together slowly. As if _she_ was the strange random person in this picture. Which it seemed she was. _Greeeat. _

She felt a spazz attack coming on. She sat up completely and backed herself against the nearest wall. "WHAT?! Oh my God oh my God oh my God!! What the hell?! If this is some practical joke, it's NOT funny!! What happened to my house?! Where's Nick?! Oh my God!! You can't be serious!!"

The guy sighed and looked at his watch. "Well, I was due at work fifteen minutes ago anyway. I guess I'll just spend the day sorting this out." "Yippee," Zoey and the other girl muttered at almost the exact same time.

Mayu and the guy looked at them carefully.

"...Creepy."

"They say everyone has a twin somewhere."

"I'M YOUR TWIN, dumbass!!"

"...Oh yeah, that's right."

"GUYS! I think we have a bigger problem here than your stupid-ass fights."

They all turned to look at Zoey again. "Riigghht." She swallowed tearfully. "Can someone get me a pickle and some water?"

After about five minutes of more spazzing and munching on the pickle (to which they all just stared in amazement and wonder), she finally sat back down. "Okay. Now I can talk."

"Coherently, anyway?"

"Mio," the guy stated. She shut up.

"Okay. You know by now that this is Mayu and Mio. I'm Kei. Why don't you start from the beginning as to how you got here?" He suggested carefully. She took a deep breath.

"Well, I took these pills..."

And it snowballed from there.

**FIVE MINUTES LATER...**

They blinked. "So, you took some pills, had a dream, just sat there the whole time, and when you woke up you were laying on Mayu's shoes talking to yourself?" Mio clarified slowly.

Zoey nodded just as slowly. "In a nutshell, yes."

Kei sighed and popped his knuckles. "Well. This is just _great_. I can't just dump you on the streets, or I'd feel like an ass. Crap, this sucks. One _more_ mouth to feed."

Mayu smacked his arm sternly. "That's no way to talk of a guest!!" "Even if she _did_ just randomly pop up and probably won't ever get back home," Mio added just as seriously. Zoey sighed tiredly. "Why, thank you for the votes of confidence, you guys. Really. I mean it."

After all that excitement, everyone kind of simmered down and went about their business. Zoey started to explore, and soon found what must have been Kei's office. "Hmm...I wonder what he does, anyway." She shuffled through some papers, until she stopped on one in particular.

Zoey could still feel the blood pounding in her head as she ran to find him. "Mr. Kei-Guy-Person?!!" He jumped, at the kitchen table drinking coffee. It sloshed out of the cup, then right back in. He let out a tiny sigh of relief before looking her way. "Uh, yes, Ms. Zoey-Chick-Person??" She shook her head. "I'm dead serious right now."

Zoey slid the photo across the table, and he stared at it.

"...Yes, and?"

"What is this place called?"

Kei eyed her suspiciously. "Personally, I call it the Manor of Sleep. ...Why??"

Zoey pointed at the picture so hard she almost dented it. "That's where I was. In my dream. I'm sure of it!"

**AND NOW WE STOP! for dramatic effect is nice, but mostly it's because my sister just might hit ME with a bat if i don't let her get on this stupid computer. **

**...i didn't mean that, computer. you're awesome. **

**peace out:)**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**


	2. Scream

Kei stared at her with a look of pure...child-like excitement? _Man, this guy is weird_. "You're telling me you were actually IN the Manor of Sleep?"

"That's what I said, isn't it?" Zoey sighed and stared at the picture anxiously. "There's something _seriously _wrong with that place. How can you be so happy about it?"

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "I guess I was a bit too-" "Eager?" "I was going to say _interested_. But either way, I apologize. You must be scared out of your fricking _mind _right now."

Zoey laughed nervously. "Oh, why do you say that? I'm only_ thousands_ of miles away from home with absolutely _no_ idea how I got here, but it's likely it had something to do with an extremely evil-looking mansion that apparently is a real place. No biggie!"

Kei smirked. "You have a good point."

She sat down at the other end of the table and folded her arms in front of her on the table, barely missing a suspicious-looking stain. "So. What's the deal with this Manor of Sleep?"

* * *

"For centuries, the surrounding people have been convinced that the area the Manor is located in is cursed. Its formal name is the Kuze Manor, but many just call it the Manor of Sleep. No one knows for sure what happened, but either way, truly eery things have been reported to happen in the area. Many people are often 'spirited away', led astray by ghosts and never seen again. The Manor itself is run-down now, but those who enter never leave unchanged. An eery song, sung by children, is often heard on the chilly wind. A woman's constant sobbing is heard in certain hallways, and sometimes the walls themselves creak and moan, as if there were people inside. That kind of thing."

"Sounds wonderful. A good place to go and forget all your troubles. Truly. Any MORE good news?"

"Well, there _is _this one story about a certain ritual, and a lullaby about sleep..."

"...A lullaby. I'm petrified." He continued as if she hadn't said anything. "If you're ever there at night, it starts to snow. Every hour on the hour, like clockwork, the lullaby grows stronger. Sometimes you can hear hammering within the song, as well."

"...Yeah, and?"

"I'm not done."

"Then why'd you stop talking?"

"Dramatic effect," he muttered moodily.

Zoey just raised her eyebrows.

"They say that whatever ritual occured there has never ceased, and that those who enter can meet the dead. But once you go in, there's no turning back. Once you go in there, it haunts your dreams, until you become one of the many wreched souls still walking the manor's crumbled halls, waiting to go to the Other Side."

He paused at the stricken look on her face, clearing his throat nervously. "...Or so the legend says, but I'm sure you'll be fine."

She put her face in her hands. "Why couldn't I dream of a huge field with some fricking daisies or something?"

_

* * *

_

_Night and snow surrounded her again. God, she hated this place already. The hairs on her neck and arms stood straight up just looking at the door. She knew she had to go in this time. _

"_Alright, Zo. You can do this! Just grow up and open the door. It might just be an empty house..."_

_She trailed off as she passed the tombstones. She was now about fifteen inches away from the big, ominous-looking doors. _

_Zoey shook herself and sucked in a breath. "Sitting and staring at this place WON'T __make it go away!" She muttered determinedly. She said a quick prayer (though she hadn't prayed since she was six and Nick told her it was the only way the Boogeyman wouldn't eat her) before opening the doors._

_Almost as soon as she walked in, the spiritual energy was overwhelming. They must be everywhere! "This is it. I'm gonna freaking die in my own dream," Zoey whined miserably. She could even see a ghost in one of the rooms right in front of her, and he was "breathing" shallowly. Which made it even MORE creepy. Zoey shrugged as she simply went around the room. It didn't even budge. _

"_Man, these ghosts are slow," Zoey whispered to herself as he was left far behind. _

_

* * *

_

_As she walked through five more rooms, she noticed a flash of a figure in the corner. A young man, about the same age as Kei, if not a little older. He was actually pretty cute for a ghost. Well, in a dead, slightly emo-looking, creepy, why-are-you-hanging-around-me-like-a-lost-puppy sort of way. _

_He seemed friendly enough. "Hey! Flashy guy! I need your assistance!" Zoey followed him around several corners until he suddenly disappeared. _

"_Dammit! That's just wrong. ..It's 'cause I'm a redhead, isn't it? You just wanna make me angry to see what happens, don't you? Well, you're doing a fan-freaking-TASTIC job, you dead jerk!"_

_She waved her fist at the wall, only to be temporarily blinded by a flash. "What the FU-.."_

_Zoey turned around and was face-to-face with some girl with a camera, whose eyes were threatening to bulge out of their sockets. _

"_AAAAAHHHHHH!"_

"_AAAAAHHHHHH!"_

* * *

"_Why didn't the Camera Obscura work on it?" The girl whispered to herself. Zoey scratched her head in confusion. "...Gesundheit? And I'm not an IT. The name's Zoey." As if the thought just occurred to her, she pointed at the girl, who flinched and held up her camera again. _

"_DON'T push that button again! Nearly freaking blinded me...ANYWAY. Why's there another living person here? Is this your dream or mine?" _

_The girl slowly lowered her camera. "You mean...you're not dead like the rest?" _

_"Do I LOOK dead to you? I'm pretty tan, I thought." _

_"...Oh, I guess you are! Sorry, I was too scared to notice." Zoey glanced around the creepy hallway. "...That's understandable." _

* * *

"_I'm sorry, what's your name again?" Zoey held out her hand. "Zoey Dawson. You?" "Rei. Rei Kurosawa." _

_"You must be from Japan too!" Zoey exclaimed excitedly. _

"_Uh, yes. I am. Are you?" "No, I'm from New Orleans. You know, the American one. I dreamed of the, uh, House of Sleep? Yeah, that's what he called this. Anyway, I dreamed it and then I woke up on top of some random kid's shoes in Japan," she explained quickly. _

_Rei nodded slowly. "Amazingly, I think I understood you. I wish I knew where to find you-" All of a sudden, Rei just completely disappeared. _

"_Holy crap! Rei, where'd you go?" Zoey cried out frantically as she glanced in all directions and noticed a sword-weilding psycho charging for her. "SOMEONE HELP ME!" _

_The swordsman drooped and stomped off after the annoying girl disappeared. "Just like the other targets," he whined to another ghost, who just sighed and shook their head at him. "You're an idiot." _

* * *

Of course, Zoey didn't see that last part, and she woke up screaming.

Mayu and Mio ran in, turning on the light. All of a sudden, something hit her across the face, and she immediately fell silent. "What the hell was that?" She asked while rubbing her poor cheek.

Kei waved the weapon in his hand carelessly. "A fish. Figured you'd shut up long enough to talk if I slapped you with it."

"You should've seen it, he was standing there waiting for almost an hour," Mio added, making Kei shoot her a look. Zoey stared at them blankly. "YOU PEOPLE ARE INSANE! AND NOT IN A GOOD WAY LIKE ME AND NICK!"


	3. When in Japan, Always Ask About the Meds

****

I'm back! Finally!

**Thanks to The Red Kunoichi for being the first reviewer. You made me finally update! **

**And thanks to whoever put me on that community archive. I've had a lot more hits because of that! **

**More reviews would be greatly appreciated!**

**Also, this fic's on no particular game plot. Which basically means, it's not taking place during a certain game. It's after the Tormented, i do know that much.**

**I just thought this'd be funny, but it will have _A _plot, i promise. xD**

**Also, I'd like to help explain a term I'll be using: sweatdrops.**

**For those who don't know what those are, they're commonly used in mangas and animes. It's a tear-like drop that appears on the side or back of the character's head, depending on the camera angle. Usually when they're pissed. It's often accompanied by a "WTF?" or "Why the hell does this always happen to me?" kind of look. **

**Also, temple throbs. They're used in animes and mangas too, when the character's MORE pissed. It's like a plus-sign on their forehead, usually red. I think it's supposed to be a vein throbbing, but i just call it a temple throb. **

**Now that all that's covered, enjoy! :)**

_**

* * *

**__**FIFTEEN ****MINUTES LATER...**_

Zoey paused, her grip loosening on the glass of water as she slowly looked up at the twins.

She sweatdropped; they were staring at her as if expecting her to explode at any moment. "...Yes, how may I help you?" She snapped.

After getting slapped with a fish by their uncle, she had started spazzing out, and had gotten the hiccups.

"...Why are you drinking that glass upside down?" Mayu asked carefully as Zoey continued to push her head out a little further and tilted the glass up, attempting to drink it at an odd angle.

She sighed and wiped stray water off her chin. "That's how I get rid of hiccups. Nick uses saltwater, but it tastes funny, so I usually just do this."

Someone grabbed her from behind by the waist, and Zoey let out a ninja yell before rearing back her fist.

She felt it connect with someone's nose, and Kei groaned.

"WHAT THE HELL, KEI!" Zoey shrieked, hopping off the couch.

"I was trying to get rid of those damn annoying hiccups. The _normal_ way. God-DAMMIT, I think you broke my nose!"

Mayu ran to get an ice pack, and Mio fell into a heap on the floor, laughing her ass off. Zoey flushed at the sight of all the blood; it was tugging at her memory.

She pushed the nagging feeling away. _How fricking cliché would it be to remember mom and dad's death, or my past life, or something equally weird at the sight of random nosebleeds?_

"Oh. Right. Sorry?" She said with a nervous laugh. He held his nose delicately, which was bleeding profusely, and waved her off.

"Ehhh. You just left the Manor of Sleep. In one piece, shockingly. I'd be extra alert, too."

"Oh, about that! I met someone there."

"What, your soul mate? Is he dead? _Or_ she, I mean, I'm open-minded-"

She waved him off with an impatient noise, temple throbbing. "No, no, no! I met a fellow living person, it was cool."

"Did you know them before the Manor?"

"Nope. _She_ was more scared than _I_was," she said proudly. Kei ignored that, and thanked Mayu as she ran in with an ice pack.

"Thanks, Ma- DAMMIT ALL TO HELL!" He yelled with a groan as she pressed it against his nose.

Mio laughed even harder, and Zoey winced involuntarily. "Ouch. That's gonna leave a mark."

"YOU THINK?"

"Sorry, Kei!" She said again innocently.

_**

* * *

**_

_**FIFTY-TWO ****MINUTES LATER...**_

Mayu was at the front of the room, with a random pointer in hand. Mio was now calm, sitting beside Zoey, hand holding her gut after laughing so hard.

Kei was sitting between Mio and Zoey, ice pack against his nose, giving Zoey the stink-eye every now and then, his temple steadily throbbing with annoyance. She would just smile innocently at him, or just ignore him entirely.

"Now that everyone's civil. So, Zoey. What exactly happened in the House of Sleep?"

All three looked to her, and she twirled a strand of her auburn hair around her finger spastically.

"Well, uh...First, I was all 'Should I go in? Yeah, I _have _to go in. Alright, I'm goin' in!'. Then, I was at the door and started spazzing out. 'Should I? I mean, I could die! Not COULD, I probably WILL die, since I'm not coordinated _at all_. And what if I die in my sleep? Is this like Nightmare on Elm Street? Will I be dead in real life? What about-"

"JUST GET ON WITH IT!" Mio and Kei screeched, making her jump with a yelp. She dropped her hair and glared at them.

"...FINE. _Some _of y'all are wearing your PMS-Pants this evening..."

They rolled their eyes, and she sighed. "Whatever. Anyway, so I finally just womaned up and went in. The first thing you see is an entryway kind of thing, right? And there's a box-like room, with narrow hallways around the outside."

She paused, trying to remember every little detail. It was hard; she felt kind of funny. Kind of...Swishy?

"Well, inside the box-room was this ghost. Creepiest damn thing, I swear. It was a mouth-breather. In fact, I think I'll call it Darth Vader for now. What the hell kind of name is Darth Vader, anyway? I mean, think about it. Could you imagine the kind of _teasing _that kid got in elementary school from all the other Jedi kids? And what about that helmet? I mean, has anyone seen Spaceballs? He's kinda the odd kid out, don't you think? And what if they went at warp-speed and had an emergency and had to stop, _like _in Spaceballs? Would _he _get dented in, too? Wow, I gotta ask George Lucas where he got whatever the hell he was smoking, 'cause _I _want some. I mean, it was made in, like, the-"

She was interrupted by Mayu planting her hands on her shoulders, keeping her still. Apparently Zoey had been pacing the room furiously, and she was now swaying drunkenly in place.

She flushed, her head pounding. She seriously had no idea she had been doing that. "Oh. Right. I think it's those meds I took earlier. The pain relievers."

"How many did you take, and how long ago?"

"...Two and a half...That's how many I always take back home. And I think about an hour ago," she said slowly.

Mio and Mayu gaped at her, and Kei sighed and shook his head. "You're in Japan now! We have different pain relievers here, with different labeling and measuring! Two and a half is way too many!"

Zoey's brown eyes widened. "Crap. Am I gonna die?"

* * *

Mio rolled her eyes and grabbed some keys, Mayu took her by the arm, and Kei slipped on a jacket.

"Not if we take you to the med quick enough. Mio, hand the keys over."

"But _I _wanna drive!"

"Hell to the _no_! I'd rather get her to the med so she doesn't overdose, NOT be in a car wreck!"

"I passed the test with flying colors!"

"The driving test?"

"Yes!"

"What about the written test?"

"Not EXACTLY," Mio muttered at the same time Mayu declared, "She FLUNKED it with flying colors."

"MAYU!" She screeched at her twin, black hair swishing angrily.

"YOU GOT A -5!"

"How is that even possible?" Zoey asked groggily before wincing. Her head was hurting a little more. Mayu laughed. "That's what I said!"

"Funny, I said the same thing when I found out it was a -3," Mio muttered. "But it was _-5_," Mayu protested.

"I know, genius. They deducted two more points for my 'attitude'. The bitch suggested I take anger management! Can you believe that?"

"Was that _before _or _after _you tackled her and ripped out her weave?" Mayu asked, making Zoey pale a little. This chick was like Zoey on caffeine!

"Before. That's WHY I tackled her! Tch. Amateurs," Mio muttered with a shake of her head, pressing the elevator button.

Mio looked to Zoey, throwing up a hand. "Anger management. The nerve of some people, huh?"

"IIIIIronnnyyyy!" Mayu whispered in a high voice.

Kei rolled his eyes. "Alright, guys, there's gonna be other people on the elevator. Sane people. So try and act moderately sane, alright? Mio? Watch your language. Mayu? Keep Zoey awake, she's not looking so hot over there."

"Stop hitting on minors!"

"Not like that, Mio! Dammit!"

"Uncle, I always knew you were a pervert..." Mayu said quietly as the doors opened, revealing three businessmen, a lady with a baby, a little boy, and his little sister.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Kei shouted, making the other three sweatdrop. His temple throbbed at the looks the strangers were throwing him, and pinched Mio as she entered the elevator.

_**THUD.**_

"OW! DAMMIT, MIO!"

"WON'T PINCH ME _NEXT TIME_, WILL YA, UNCLE KEI!"

**

* * *

**

**Hahaha. Please review! **

**Thanks, and that is all.**

**As you were, internet-users.**


	4. All Doped Up and DeadLegging Ghost Moms

**Weeeeeellll, I'm back. **

**I just beat the Wandering Woman and her daughter, and decided i had earned the right to do this. **

**So...NEH.**

**I mean, uh, enjoy! :)**

* * *

They must have been an interesting sight for the hospital.

Zoey was being almost fully supported by Mayu, barely awake. Kei was cradling his nose, which had dried blood all over it. Mio burst through the doors and shouted, "WE HAVE A BROKEN NOSE AND AN OVERDOSE HERE!"

Needless to say, they were the first to be helped. "After Mio's last visit here, I highly doubt they'd risk keeping her or her friends waiting," Mayu explained to Zoey, who just nodded half-heartedly.

She wanted to sleep so badly, but every time she came close to dozing off, she would remember that snow-covered manor, and sleep would be the furthest thing from her mind.

Kei had been in some awkward dodge-dance with a nurse trying to tend to his nose, and finally, he waved her off and stated matter-of-factly, "I'll survive, it's the young woman half-dead-looking on my neice's arm you should be tending to."

The nurse blinked a couple times at him, caught off-guard, but then she carefully shifted Zoey's weight off of Mayu.

The next thing Zoey knew, she was on a bed and the curtains were shut as the nurse flung her clothes every-which-way.

* * *

She was in a hospital gown with an IV in her arm in seconds. "_Damn_, you're good," she told the nurse groggily, who just smiled at her and nodded.

Zoey squinted at her spotless uniform, looking for a nametag. "...Oh! Your name's Miyuki! Hi, Miyuki."

"Hello."

"I'm Zoey," she informed her.

Miyuki nodded again, and they both jumped with yells as Mayu flung back the curtains. "Is she gonna be alright?"

"Your friend should be fine, if we can just get the drug out of her system. What exactly did she take?"

"Pain reliever. The Japanese kind," Zoey answered matter-of-factly. Mio rolled her eyes and flashed Miyuki an inside-joke kind of smile.

"American, can't you tell?"

"Oh, that explains it."

"Hey, don't you go...Don't you go dissing, um...umm...u- America! Yes, that's it," she replied, attempting to shift positions on the hospital bed.

_Ohhh, wait... SHIT. They must be drugging me up!_

Her gown sleeve slid down in the process, and she noticed Kei's eyes widen at something on her left shoulder.

They widened even more after she rubbed it self-consciously.

"Amazing. Not only do you have the Tattoo, but you can remove it with your mere touch? How is that possible?"

Zoey gave him a confused look. "You mean...my tattoo? Well, it IS a temporary rub-on tattoo, they tend to do that after you have them on for a while..."

Kei continued to stare at it, and she scoffed. "Jeez. I'm all doped up, and I still know _that_!"

Mio eyed Miyuki suspiciously as Zoey started rambling about how Nick was right, and she really DID overdose herself, and so on. "What the hell is Zoey on? And where'd you get it? Is there any left?"

Kei's temple throbbed, and he simply said, "NO, Mio."

Miyuki smiled. "Drugs to help eradicate the effects of the medicine from her bloodstream. Don't worry, you won't have to deal with her loopiness much longer, it'll put her to sleep any minute now."

"Sooo, lemme get this straight. To get rid of the medicine, you give her DRUGS? How the HELL does that help anything?"

"Mio, would you let the nurse do her job?"

"Uncle, I'm with Mio on this one."

Zoey might've been doped up, but the S-Word woke her brain right up. "What? Sleep? No. No, I _won't _go to sleep!"

* * *

This caught everyone's attention, whereas earlier they had just been ignoring her rambling. She glanced down at the IV, wondering if she should try to remove it. No, they'd just sedate her right then and there.

She resorted to pleading. "Please. I can't go to sleep. I don't wanna go back there...It's too dark! What if that living chick isn't there this time? I'll be by myself...I can't go to sleep," she repeated.

Even Mio looked concerned about the heavy panic that laced her groggy, slurred voice. Mayu was appeared to be havinig a conversation with her twin through facial expressions, and Kei was over by the door looking real sympathetic.

Which, of course, made Zoey feel even more panicked. But what could she do?

The sleepiness was taking over.

Her eyes were closing. Soon, no matter how many times she frantically blinked them back open, she couldn't resist any longer, and sleep took over.

And then it was snowing again.

_

* * *

_

_She resisted the urge to cry out with frustration. She was back. And she was all by herself._

_Although, this time, she somehow had a flashlight. Not that that was comforting. What if she ran into the samurai-like guy she had almost been murdered by before? Rei might not be there to ease her fear this time._

_Zoey bit back a whine as she took first one step, then another. She avoided the corridor she had gone in that second night, and soon found herself in the middle of an entirely different one._

"_Great. I have no idea what the HELL I'm doing. I bet ten- no, fifteen bucks that something pops out at me once I go around the corner," she muttered to herself. _

_Sure enough, as she turned the next corner, she heard sobbing. Zoey waved her flashlight around carelessly, looking for anything threatening._

_Her beam landed on a woman huddled in the corner, facing the wall, shaking with sobs. She walked towards the woman after noticing she wasn't hostile or transparent, and the mysterious woman stiffened._

"_Don't worry. I'm alive, I promise. Why are you here? Are you alive, too?" Zoey asked carefully. _

_She slowly turned to look at her, and Zoey noticed she had a cool tattoo slinking around her left shoulder and chest. "Cool tattoo!"_

"_This...is no ordinary tattoo. It's a bruise...It's a curse," the woman explained slowly, as if each word caused her pain._

"_So...Why are you here? Are you alive, too?" She repeated. _

"_I am. But I might as well be dead. That's why I'm here. I'm supposed to be dead. But I survived."_

"_Survived what?"_

_The woman opened her mouth to answer, but her expression turned from sad to horrified, directed towards something behind Zoey._

_This, of course, made her turn around, and she saw a woman and child walking side-by-side towards them._

_

* * *

_

_Zoey, beyond rational thoughts at this point from all the loopy-drugs and adrenaline, simply waved at them. "Hi there! Oh, wait...you don't look very optimistic and non-threatening..."_

_The daughter ALMOST waved back, but the mother slapped her hand mid-wave. They spoke in hushed whispers to each other before continuing their slow, deliberately-frightening walk._

"_My husband...have you seen...my husband?" The woman hissed. Her voice seemed to come from all directions. _

_The living woman crouched on the ground, gasping for air as if having a panic attack (which was very likely). _

_Zoey shook her head quickly. "Nope, sorry. I haven't. Unless Kei's your husband. But I don't think he has kids, just twin nieces."_

"_...Daddy?" The little girl asked._

"_Awwww! Sorry, I haven't seen your daddy, sweetie. I don't think the woman behind me has, either. I'm sure there are other people wandering this place that might've seen him, tho- AHHHH!" Zoey shrieked as the mother lunged for her._

_She banged on the mom's head with her flashlight spastically several times, and the living woman peeked out of her hands curiously._

_The daughter tried to back up her mom, and Zoey felt very justified as she shoved the girl back and dead-legged her mom, who had popped up behind her._

"_Ohhh! WHAT now? I was gonna be nice and civil, but then you had to try and bite my fricking nose off! That's not really a good example for your daughter, you know. But that's alright, apparently you're ghosts, so it's a bit late for formal training. Get it? It's funny 'cause you're dead. Yeah, you-"_

_Unfortunately, the mom had popped back up behind her again, and gripped Zoey, shaking her. She attempted to wriggle out of her grip, and was suddenly blinded by a white flash._

_The ghost mom jerked back, Zoey ran into a wall as she was still blinded, and another flash made her knock over a chair as the ghost mom let out a spine-tingling shriek._

_

* * *

_

_She was gone, from what Zoey could see between white tingly dots in her vision. She felt a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"_

"_Hopefully. I think I might be blind. Ouch, my shin hurts...Stupid-ass chair. Wait...Rei, is that you?"_

"_Yes, it's me. I heard ghosts and shrieking, I decided it would be good to investigate."_

"_Thank goodness you did! Oh, I was talking to some other woman- There she is!" Zoey declared as her vision refocused and she saw the woman eyeing them as if they were insane (Zoey in particular)._

"_What'__s your name, exactly? Mine's Zoey, and this is Rei."_

"_Er...My name is Ayame?"_

"_So, anyway. You mentioned you were a survivor. What did you...well, survive?"_

_Ayame turned back into a somber woman, and Rei noticed her tattoo. "I survived a shooting at my college. My whole class died, yet I survived by acting dead and jumping out the window when the shooter was distracted. I hid in a bush as he shot every victim once more, which killed the others who had been doing the same as me. I chose to survive, but now...I wish I hadn't. For obvious reasons."_

_Rei spoke up as Zoey shook her head sadly. "That tattoo...How is that possible?"_

"_This woman,...she touched me, and it appeared when I awoke. Since then, it has always appeared for a few moments once I awake, then sinks back into my skin."_

"_Yes, I know. I had the same tattoo. But how is...How can this be? Maybe this is why I'm here again?"_

_Zoey felt a pang in her stomach. Her scalp tingled. Something was wrong. She felt her whole body jerk involuntarily as she heard a voice whisper a single name:_

"_ZoBeth."_

_The last thing she saw in her dream was the look of concern on Rei's face and fear/confusion on Ayame's. _

* * *

Zoey shot upright in the hospital bed with a gasp, panting, before covering her face with her hands to wipe the cold sweat away.

It was dark in the room, and after a few seconds, her eyes focused to see the twins curled up on the couch and Kei slumped in a chair.

The monitor was beeping, just like on tv. Well, usually, someone's always flat-lining, but luckily that someone wasn't her.

_Yet_.

She glanced at her shoulder, at the ethereal sapphire-blue tattoo she had put on two weeks ago after buying it at Target. Was it really only a day or so ago she had been in America, and shopped at Target, and Wal-Mart, and had normal dreams like everyone else?

Well, maybe not _completely _normal...But normal enough.

She missed that.

Now she was stuck with hearing her nickname in her head. Her whole body seemed to throb in time with her heartbeat as it gradually slowed.

Only one person called her ZoBeth; one of the people she missed the most.

Her mother.


	5. McDonald's and The Blue Chick

**So, I finally updated! **

**"And then there was much rejoicing *YAY*" **

**-Monty Python and the Holy Grail XD**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

"Is this _really_ necessary?" Kei asked them, his tone laced with annoyance.

"OF COURSE!" Mio and Mayu snapped as they continued to push Zoey at warp-speed in her wheelchair, barely dodging doctors and nurses and gurneys with sick people on them.

Zoey thought it was fun, but she was also still thinking about her dream. About her mom. And how the hell some ghost knew about her mom's nickname for her.

Because her mom _couldn't_ be in the Manor of Sleep. She couldn't! Right?

Kei finally dove in front of them in a hopeless attempt, and Mayu abruptly stopped. Mio, however, kept going. "Whoa, whoa, Mio- OW!"

_**THUD.**_

Mio laughed uncontrollably as Kei was hit on the side by the wheelchair and flipped mid-air before landing not-so-gracefully on his ass.

"Ha! Revenge is sweet...and fricking hilarious! Right, Zoey?"

She sneezed in reply. In any other case, she'd totally agree with Mio, but Kei was pretty much her landlord. She was lucky she didn't have rent to pay.

No way was she going to laugh at his expense and end up having to pay rent! Or worse...get evicted!

Kei stood up, rubbing his left shin, and shook his head with a sigh. "Fine. See if I pay for YOUR McDonald's again."

"Uncle, I'm sorry!"

"Oh, shut the hell up."

Zoey just shook her head slowly. They reminded her so much of the random fights she and Nick would always have, even more so after mom and dad died.

_Mom._

A stabbing pain in the gut quickly followed the little blurb of thought, and her eyes reflexively narrowed as she sucked in a breath.

Mayu, ever aware, glanced down at her with a Worried Mom look. "Are you alright?"

Zoey flashed a tired smile. "Hmm? Yeah, fine. Fine."

Mayu looked at her a few moments longer, but then Mio started nudging her with an impish grin on her face and the twin had no choice but to turn her gaze elsewhere.

Thank God for Mio.

_**

* * *

**__**A ****FEW MINUTES LATER...**_

Zoey watched with interest as Kei went back and forth with the intercom at McDonald's in Japanese.

After putting his car back into gear and heading for the pay window, he slipped his hand back to Mio, palm side up.

She high-fived it, but he just said "Nope" and kept his hand there.

Mio stared at it as if it were some foreign object, then up at her uncle in horror. "Crap...You were _serious_ about the McDonald's thing?"

"_Dead_ serious. Pay up."

"How much?"

"5.79."

"WHAT? I DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY ON MY PERSON! MONEY DOESN'T GROW ON TREES, Y'KNOW! I'M JUST A TEENAGE GIRL, UNCLE KEI!" She screeched, making them all flinch and clasp their ears.

She continued whining about it for a while, but then Mayu sighed and dove a hand into Mio's bag, pulling out a twenty.

"Score, Uncle," she said with a smile as she handed Kei the bill.

Mio stared at her twin with fury; her face turned almost as red as Zoey's hair. But all she said was, "Fine. I see how it is. See if I bail _you_ out next time. Feel free to follow those damn butterflies, maybe _they_ have some money."

Her tone was pure ice. Kei's grip tightened on the steering wheel, which of course made Zoey all curious, but Mayu simply giggled. "Don't mess with a bitch and her money," she told Zoey, cocking her head in Mio's direction.

The car was quiet as the money went to the lady behind the window, but as they pulled up to the food window, a random giggle blurted out of Zoey.

They all turned to look at her, and she shrugged. "They said the meds would give me _reeeeallly_ delayed reactions for a day or so."

That got everyone laughing (minus Kei, he just kind of smirked to himself and tried to look grown-up), and she grinned despite herself.

* * *

"So, what happened last night? In your dream, I mean. You never did tell us," Mayu asked before daintily biting the end off a french fry.

It was hilarious to watch the two sisters and see how different they were; Mio was over there shoveling in two or three fries at a time, much like Nick did.

Personally, Zoey liked tossing them in the air and catching them with her mouth, but that was just her.

"Well, um...The chick from my second dream saved my ass after I met up with this mother and daughter who tried to kill me."

"WHAT?" Mio and Mayu exclaimed. Kei glanced in the mirror with interest, but said nothing. Zoey nodded. "I know, right! I beat the crap out of the mom's head with my flashlight...I had no idea where the flashlight came from, but whatever. Oh, and I dead-legged her! It was awesome!"

"Hey, wait...what about the chick you mentioned, what'd _she_ do to help?"

"Oh, Rei? She used her handy-dandy camera, which she had when I met her the first time- nearly blinded me, by the way...But anyway, she made them go away. I guess they don't think they're very photogenic or something, because they just _vanished_. And then I-..." She stopped abruptly.

Should she mention her nickname being called in the Manor? No, that would probably confuse them more.

"And then I woke up," she concluded quietly. Mayu looked skeptical, but Mio was bouncing excitedly. "You met _Rei_? Seriously?"

"You know her?"

"I LOVE her!"

Kei rolled his eyes, and Mio shoved some more fries into her mouth. "Okay, check this: When Uncle and I were drawn into the Manor of Sleep, Rei was there too. She's totally bad-ass, she defeated the Blue Titty Bitch and found Uncle, who got totally OWNED by her before Rei showed up! When the whole thing was over, Kei introduced us to her and Miku, her roomie."

"They're both pretty cool," Mayu added.

Mio waved a hand to-and-fro. "Ehhh, Miku's alright. But the POINT is, Rei's AWESOME!"

Zoey just blinked a couple times. There was so much wrong with Mio's explanation that she didn't even know where to BEGIN. "Oh. Okay. Hey, wait a minute.."

She looked at Kei's reflection and held his gaze. "_You_ _guys_ went to the Manor of Sleep, too?"

"...Yes. A few times," he admitted slowly.

She narrowed her eyes. "You conveniently left _that_ part out."

He laughed nervously. "It was almost a year ago!"

"...And?"

Mio made a tsk-tsk-sk noise. "Jeez, Uncle. I can't _believe_ you never mentioned your girlfriend," she said innocently before taking a huge swig of her Coke.

Kei shot her a glare. "Rei Kurosawa is _not_ my girlfriend. She's my late friend's fiancee," he explained to Zoey.

"Late? You mean, like...dead?"

"Duh."

"Mio, shut up."

"Don't get bitchy with _me_, Uncle, just because you forgot to mention your girlfriend to your crush."

"She is NOT my- You know what? Just forget it, I'll explain the whole thing later, Zoey."

She just blew her auburn bangs out of her right eye's line of vision and shook her head slowly. "Whatever. Spazz," she muttered before drinking some Dr. Pepper.

_

* * *

_

_Zoey had tried everything possible to stay awake, but her eyes still fluttered closed. And now she was back at the stupid damned Manor. _

_She had barely taken five steps inside when she heard it again._

"_ZoBeth..?"_

_Just like before, her scalp tingled and a shiver ran through her. As ominous as it all felt, she knew she had no choice but to find out how this voice knew her nickname._

_So she followed it, and it kept calling._

"_ZoBeth...ZoBeth...ZoBeth..."_

_It took her a while, but she finally found where the voice was the most resonant; up a ladder in a room with a pot hanging from the ceiling._

"_ZoBeth...ZoBeth...ZoBeth...ZoBeth..!"_

_She climbed it with shaky arms, almost falling. When she got to the top, the voice had lowered to a whisper. Zoey slid the door open to find...nothing._

_Absolutely nothing._

_Except a hole in the floor. It wasn't an accidental hole, because it seemed to be part of the floor, if that made any sense. _

_Slowly, she lowered her gaze into the hole. _

"_Rift...Remains...Cursed...Damned..Need more..Blood.." Said a ragged male voice. She was momentarily paralyzed with fear, but the figure was gone as quickly as he had come._

_She turned around and was face-to-face with the survivor she had met yesterday. Both screamed, and Zoey laughed nervously. "You scared the hell out of me.."_

_Ayame glanced down at the peep hole, then at Zoey. The fear was still in her eyes. "She's coming this way. We have to hide!"_

"_Who?"_

"_The woman...The woman whose fingers feel like ice! We must hide!"_

_She grabbed Zoey's wrist and looked around the room, then decided that it wasn't too good of a place to hide and headed down the rickety ladder._

"_Wait! Wait for me!" Zoey cried out before following her down. _

_Ayame ran frantically for a random piece of furniture and ducked behind it; Zoey ducked behind an identical one nearby._

"_...Not to be Captain Obvious, but nothing's happening."_

"_Shut up! You'll know when she's near. She's coming, I swear it."_

_Sure enough, a few moments later, Zoey heard ragged breathing and groaning. She glanced at the fellow living woman and resisted the urge to run over to her. _

_**I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that THIS is the Blue Titty Bitch Mio was talking about**, Zoey thought with a sweatdrop as the woman slunk into view._

_Ayame's tattoo was moving idly across her skin, and her whole body was throbbing in time with the Blue Chick's breathing and footsteps._

_The survivor was struggling with the pain, Zoey could see it, but neither of them dared to make a sound._

_Zoey's heart was pounding, as was her head._

_She could see a faint glow in front of her hiding place, and she waited in tense silence. But the figure turned away, the glow faded a little, and she let out a whoosh of air. She didn't realize she had stopped breathing._

_Her sigh of relief turned to a gasp of horror as the Blue Chick noticed Zoey's sort-of-friend, who screamed in agony at the very sight of the ghost._

_The Blue Chick lunged for her, but Zoey whistled rather loudly to distract her. "Hey, Blue Chick! Nice tattoo, how much was it?"_

_The Blue Chick turned to her with confusion on her blurry features. Zoey backed up a little, fingering her flashlight, her only weapon._

"_No, seriously, I like it. Who's your ink artist? They did an awesome job! I got this rub-on from Target that looks kinda like that, but it's rubbing off now, and it's not near as eery-looking as I'd like!" _

_She slid the strap of her undershirt down off her arm and pointed to the rub-on, slowly crumbling away. The Blue Chick stopped dead in her tracks._

"_You...can remove the Snake and Holly Tattoo?"_

"_...Um...Yes, totally!" _

"_You...You are a miracle! Our savior!" The woman gestured to herself before reaching a long pale-blue hand in Zoey's direction._

"_Please...Remove me from this curse...I have endured enough punishment from Mistress Reika...Please!"_

_Mistress Reika? Who the hell...?_

_Before she could reply, she heard running footsteps. "Zoey, watch out!" Rei slowed to a stop, standing beside Zoey._

"_What's happening?" She asked them all._

"_G-G-Good...good question," Ayame replied, still shaken from the whole thing and in intense pain._

"_Who's Mistress Reika?" Zoey asked Rei. She froze, staring wide-eyed at Zoey. "How do you know of Reika?"_

"_Blue Chick here mentioned her just now."_

"_SILENCE!" The Blue-Chick-In-Question bellowed. Everyone jumped, and Rei watched in amazement as the woman fell to her knees._

"_Please, I beg of you. Lift this curse. I am innocent, please believe me. I do not deserve this. Remove it, Savior!"_

_Rei tugged on Zoey's arm. "We have to get out of here and put as much distance between us and this...other Priestess...as possible."_

_Zoey reluctantly followed, and Ayame scurried after them. "Please, let me tag along too."_

"_Duh," was Zoey's answer. _

_They started to run, but the intense drop in temperature around them made them start shivering, pause, and look at Blue Chick._

"_How dare you, peasant. How DARE you speak for our Savior!" She screeched, pointing a long accusing finger at Rei._

"_You shant get away with such treason!"_

_She lunged for Rei, and without even thinking about it, Zoey shoved Rei out of the way. Of course, it was just her luck that the Blue Chick touched her by mistake._

_Immediately a cold, stabbing pain spread across her right shoulder._

_The Blue Chick let out an agonizing, blood-curdling scream of anguish as first Rei, then Zoey disappeared._

"_Our Savior...She shall return...And I will not allow her to escape again..."_

* * *

"Zoey, please, wake up!"

Mayu's plea was the first thing she heard as she lurched into a sitting position with a horrified scream.

She saw Mio for a split-second, but then Mayu told her to go get their uncle. Panting, Zoey shook her head quickly as her vision focused.

She had a cold sweat and was shivering, but the shivering was only because of one area in particular.

"Cold...My shoulder's cold...It's still so _cold_!" She said frantically to herself.

"Cold? What're you talking about? Zoey, tell me what happened, please!"

"She...She accidentally touched me...She meant to get Re-" Zoey cut off with a wince and hiss of breath as the pain returned, right as Mio and Kei ran in.

"Great, Uncle. Your mere _presence_ makes her sick," Mio commented.

"Mio, now is _not_ the time," Kei said worriedly.

Mayu moved out of his way and ran out of the room as he walked quickly to Zoey's side. "Where are you hurting?"

She grabbed frantically at her shoulder as the pain grew. Her strap was still off her arm, so whatever it was could be clearly seen by the others.

Zoey made weird noises as the pain spread across her shoulder and slowly faded as if it had never been there in the first place.

As she panted heavily, trying to catch her breath and get her heart rate down, she felt a hand run across her shoulder.

"There's no way.."

"What...What was it, Uncle?" Mayu asked as she ran back into the room and handed Zoey a glass of water.

Mio was the one to answer as Kei continued to inspect her shoulder with interest. "The tattoo."

Mayu sweatdropped. "You mean her rub-on?"

"No no _no_!" Mio answered impatiently. "It was..._moving_. And darker. _And_ cooler."

Zoey sweatdropped and stopped gulping down the water. "I don't know whether to panic over the real tattoo or feel offended on behalf of the rub-on."

She then looked up at Kei, who was _still_ inspecting her shoulder. "Kei, I _really_ don't think it's coming back any time soon. You can scoot back now."

She looked at them all nervously. "Can someone please go get me a pickle?"

**

* * *

**

**Bum-Bum-BUUUUUUMMM! So who's this other Priestess? What the hell's going on?**

**Well, you'll just have to wait and see.**

**Reviews! I demand reviews!**


	6. What A GREAT Way To Start The Morning!

**Hey everybody!**

**Sorry for the long wait, and i know this chapp's kinda short, but...well...I didn't wanna have to fit everything into one big chapp, 'cause I'm lazy. XD**

**Plus, the plot bunnies JUST returned, i don't wanna wear them out.**

**So enjoy! :)**

* * *

"I think...We should go see Rei about this," Mayu said slowly. The other two just nodded slowly as they continued to watch Zoey with sweatdrops.

She was currently eating her pickle like a starved person and pacing in circles around the room, muttering to herself.

"If Blue Bitch gave me a tattoo, I'm guessing it's gonna grow. Like it just _did_. Soooo...does that mean I'll have it all over me like _her_? Is THAT why she's a _Blue Bitch_? The tattoo? Holy shit, I think I'm ONTO something! Wait...Why the hell does she have no shirt in the first place? Is that part of the tattoo's curse? You get a sudden urge to go _topless_? If so, I'm fricking SCREWED...No one wants to see that shit! Hey..._Waaaaiit _a second...AYAME has the tattoo, and SHE still has her top! But...BUT...what if she just hasn't progressed far enough yet? Holy _shit_, I'm starting to think like a doctor. Ennnnnhhhhhh!"

She abruptly shot her head up to look at them, brought out of her ramblings for the time being. "...Do we have any more pickles?"

They all sweatdropped some more, and the twins grabbed her by the arms, one arm each. "That's it. We're taking you to Rei."

"What? Why?"

"You're giving me the creeps, THAT'S why," was Mio's sensitive reply.

Kei rolled his eyes and slipped on a jacket again. "Maybe we can sort these things out over there if we put our heads together."

_**

* * *

**_

_**LATER****...**_

Rei looked around Yuu's old room quickly, trying to convince herself she could do this.

Her hand shook a little as she debated whether or not she should plop the objects into the box. _It's time to move on. I need to do this. I have to do this. For me..._

_Yuu would understand. _

_He doesn't want me to be miserable. He wants me to LIVE, and be HAPPY...Because then it's like HE'S living, and HE'S happy..._

But in the end, she sighed rather wearily and stood up before putting the clothes she had gotten out back in his closet, picking up the mostly empty box.

All Rei had managed to do was get out the empty coat-hangers so Miku would have more for the laundry.

Honestly, she didn't know _why _his clothes remaining in his closet was so important to her. It's not like he was going to walk in asking for some new socks any time soon or anything.

And she wished she could say it was for sentimental reasons; like "As long as his clothes remain, a part of him remains in our house, and with me."

Something good and angsty-romantic like that.

But really, she was just being a bit selfish. She didn't want to put that old part of her life...THEIR life...behind just yet.

Even after almost exactly a year.

Her? Clinging to the past? Noooo...Why would one even SUGGEST such a thing?

She glanced out the window after hearing car doors shutting, along with some bickering. It was raining again.

_Just like last time..._

The last time she had been in the Manor. Only now, things were different in that hellish place. Almost exactly the same, yet drastically different..

Rei shook her head quickly with a sigh. "I'm starting to sound like a fortune cookie. And they're not even from my culture...! How ironic.."

She took one last look around the room, and couldn't help but smile at all the blue.

Blue had always been her favorite color.

"Rei?" Miku asked carefully, making her jump and whirl around to look at her, nearly dropping the cardboard box.

Miku ruffled the back of her dark auburn hair with an anxious smile. "Sorry...Uhh, Kei's here. Along with Mio, and Mayu, and...some other girl.."

Rei's eyebrows shot up. "Some other girl?"

Who the hell could _that_ be? Who was _dumb_ enough to get themselves sucked into the affairs of Mio and Mayu?

No offense towards the twins, she loved them to death, but...together...they're pure ANARCHY.

Miku nodded slowly. "Yeah...She seems kind of..._angry _at Kei, for some reason..."

"Angry at Kei."

Miku's slow nod turned into a tilt of the head. "Rei, are you alright? You keep repeating me...AGAIN..."

Rei shook herself quickly before following Miku downstairs. "Yeah, fine..."

_Mostly._

* * *

Zoey liked it here, for the most part. She took off her shoes by the door, like everyone else did in Japan, and one of Mio's "accidentally" hit Kei in the back of the head.

"Dammit, Mio- OW!" He shouted as she hit him in the stomach with the other one. Mayu tried to hide her giggling with a cough, and Zoey just smirked at him.

"Boy, Kei, you _sure _know how to handle kids, huh?"

"Hey, I don't see YOU doing a better job of keeping them in line."

She shrugged. "It's not my job. If I tried, I could easily get them to behave."

"Then _do it _please," he begged as Mio tried to convince Mayu there was a Grudge Girl in the nearest closet.

Zoey's smirk grew into a mischievious grin. "Aw, c'mon. What's the fun in that?"

"Zoey?"

She turned around to see Rei Kurosawa looking completely caught by surprise. She noticed not only was _Rei _still in her nightwear (Zoey was guessing that sweatshirt she threw over it was for Kei's benefit. Poor guy wouldn't stand a _chance _with such a plunging neckline..) and slippers, but Zoey had never changed out of _hers _either.

_Huh. Funny._

"Rei! Awesome!"

* * *

"I take it you've met Miku."

Miku nodded brightly. "Oh, we've met. Where'd the twins go?"

"Freaking each other out with your closet," Kei and Zoey said in almost complete unison, jerking their thumbs back to the room with Yuu's Altar at the same time.

They exchanged a weird look, and Zoey lowered hers as quickly as possible with a triumphant grin.

Rei just shook her head, and looked at Kei hesitantly. "What exactly are you guys doing here? And how do you even KNOW each other?"

"Well...How to begin.."

Mio suddenly popped up by Zoey's side, making her come THIS CLOSE to spazzing out, and Miku hid her smile behind her hand.

"Well, see, here's how it went down, Rei-Rei. A few mornings ago, me and Uncle here were eating breakfast, just chillin', when all of a sudden Mayu comes in, all freaked out, saying some girl was laying on her favorite shoes and talking to herself."

Mayu popped in just then on Zoey's other side, between her and Kei, making them both jump with spastic yells.

This time Miku really did laugh.

"Yeah! And then we went in and find out who she is. She's ZOEY! Yay! And she's been chilling at our place ever since," Mayu concluded, Mio saying the last part with her in perfect unison.

Zoey and Miku sweatdropped. "...Creepy..."

* * *

Kei cleared his throat and gave Rei a rather serious look. "Yeah, but now we kind of have a problem..."

Rei looked between him and Zoey, pointing at her in disbelief. "Wait...She really DID touch you- That means you have the...the.."

Zoey nodded quickly, glancing at her afflicted shoulder, and Miku eyed them strangely. "What're you talking about? Do you have some sort of disease, Zoey?"

"No no no, see, I've been having these weird dre-" Rei and Kei practically dove to cover her mouth, laughing anxiously as Zoey made a rather offended noise and Miku sweatdropped a couple times.

"Uhhh...Hey Mio, Mayu! Miku just got some new clothes, and she was _just _telling me how she's wanting to get rid of her old ones!" Rei said cheerfully.

The twins and Miku almost completely forgot about the weird moment and ran for her room. "That's right! I think they're almost exactly your sizes, too!"

"HELL YEAH! SCORE! LESS SPENDING!" Mio and Mayu cheered.

"I change my mind, you just got about five times awesomer in my book, Miku," Mio announced as they thumped up the stairs.

Zoey watched them go and glared at Kei and Rei, temple throbbing, until they finally let go of her.

She then sighed. "...Crud...I really need some new clothes...But I guess I should probably make sure I'm alive long enough to wear them..."

Zoey then clapped her hands together importantly. "Soooo, Rei, Kei. Care to shed some light on my fucked-up situation?"


End file.
